Noodle makers having an extruder-type structure are powered by a powerful rotary drive unit. Many therefore have a structure that comes under more pressure than necessary. Although this is because the noodle raw material must be extruded after being adequately kneaded and transformed to alpha starch (gelatinized), a palatable texture must be maintained by conducting the operation so as to avoid excessive noodle material kneading that causes an overdone condition. The pressure must therefore be controlled to prevent excessive stickiness.
Particularly in the case of kneading buckwheat flour, a somewhat powerful rotary drive unit must be installed because the amount of pressure required for kneading the flour is fairly large. It is generally agreed that 100% buckwheat soba noodles (vermicelli) made by adding water to pure buckwheat flour as the only ingredients are the best in the point of texture. However, when buckwheat soba noodles are kneaded too long they lose their flavor, and when they are not kneaded long enough, the prepared noodles break into short pieces when boiled because buckwheat is gluten-free. In the improvement of noodle makers, special attention has therefore been focused on machine preparation of 100% buckwheat soba noodles made solely from buckwheat flour.
A helical screw inside the cylindrical body of the extruder-type noodle maker kneads the noodle material consisting of buckwheat flour containing added water under pressurized rotation. A problem of inferior texture arises if the noodles become very firm. This makes it necessary to accurately control the pressurized travel period between the time the rotating screw kneading operation is completed and the time the kneaded buckwheat flour reaches the outlets of the nozzle body.
In addition, excessive kneading that gelatinizes the material starch is thought to make the buckwheat lose flavor. It has been ascertained that when noodles are made with an extruder-type noodle maker, rapid gelatinization upon reaching the vicinity of the nozzle body having the noodle maker outlets accelerates cooking.
A noodle maker has been developed that prevents excessive gelatinization by forming a helical groove in the inner wall of the screw unit to establish a pressure-relaxation structure. However, the formation of a groove inside the screw unit makes the work of cleaning the machine after use troublesome.
A need has therefore been felt for the development of a light-weight, easy-to-use noodle maker that simplifies cleaning of the casing and other parts, while also avoiding loss of buckwheat noodle flavor. The desire has been especially strong for the development of a noodle maker that enables 100% buckwheat soba noodles to be readily and simply made by machine in the home or from only a small amount of buckwheat flour, without loss of flavor or aroma, thus making it possible to enjoy delicious buckwheat soba noodles even when prepared in small quantities.